So glad to find this forum! I'm newly diagnosed T1(three weeks in). I'm 33 and this came out of nowhere. I was in the middle of half marathon training, and had my longest run at 7 miles the day before I received the news(glucose 637 and A1C 12.5), and spent the night in the hospital. Since then I've visited a couple of endocrinologists and will continue to search until I find one I'm comfortable with, I'm having to insist on antibody testing and a subscription for more than 3 testing strips a day. I started out on 15 units of lantus at night, and 6 units of humalog just before meals. Since then I've gradually reduced the humalog to just 1 unit, and i'm off the lantus entirely. I suppose this is why they call it honeymoon period. With just the 1 unit and no humalog, my levels 2 hours after meals are on average 145 or so, before meals 90-100. I've started to experiment with exercise. The first two nights, a 2.5 mile run consistently dropped my levels by about 40. On the third night, the drop was 76(from 133 to 57). My last dose of humalog was almost 3.5 hours before the start of the run, so I didn't expect it to be a factor. Am I missing something? Does a compromised pancreas also impact it's ability to recognize dropping glucose and signal the liver keep glucose levels in check? Or, is the humalog the culprit? I'm a bit concerned that I didn't recognize my glucose at 57, I live alone so lows are a real concern of mine. Any advice on any of this, greatly appreciated!
Newly Diagnosed T1 and Exercise
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I'm glad you found us too, sleclere! 
You've gained a lot of knowledge about this in a short time . . . good work. You can expect to keep learning from now on, y'know.
I'm a non-insulin-dependent type 2, so I'm going to take a back seat now, to make room for the members who know a lot more about this than I! :wave:
You've gained a lot of knowledge about this in a short time . . . good work. You can expect to keep learning from now on, y'know. I'm a non-insulin-dependent type 2, so I'm going to take a back seat now, to make room for the members who know a lot more about this than I! :wave:
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Welcome. I am also a type 2 with a slightly compromised pancreas. Had enough of those attacks to last a life time. Great you can run. Best thing - my wife is on her 10th marathon. The unfortunate thing is I can't run far without my one knee giving me issues. Welcome and sorry you have to be here.
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First I should mention that you need to make sure both your family doctor AND your Endocrinologist know that you're training as an endurance athlete, and make sure they support that.
It's my understanding one of the biggest challenges for endurance athletes with Type 1 diabetes is finding the right balance between your insulin, your carbohydrate intake and your output of exercise. And this will come with time and testing.
Although I don't take insulin currently (I'm type2 diabetic with both impaired pancreatic function and insulin-resistance), ever since I took up cycling (and especially now that I do everything from short 40-50km sprints to long 70-100km mountainous rides, and I'm planning a 160km century soon) I've had to learn how much carbohydrate to intake, and when (both before and during), for each event I participate in. You'll need to do the same, and also need to modify your insulin intake depending on what you're doing also. You'll need considerably less insulin (and maybe only basal) on race days, but as everyone is different, you'll need to find out what works for you.
Obviously dropping into the 40's while exercising means that you had either 1) too much insulin, or; 2) too little carbohydrate, or; 3) a combination of both.
As far as diet goes... Athletes both with and without diabetes require adequate amounts of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) to support their training and sustain their performance. This means we need carbs both prior to and during our training, as well as protein and fat to build/repair muscle tissue.
Generally speaking, it's best during endurance events to take in small amounts of glucose (energy gels, sports drinks, bars, etc.) every 10-15 minutes to help keep your glucose levels balanced. Not too high, but not getting hypo's either. The amounts and timing will depend on several factors, including your individual metabolism, effort, event duration, etc.
This article on the Powerbar website has information from both a Sports Nutritionist and an Elite Endurance Athlete (with Type 1 diabetes) on managing diabetes in endurance sport, and is a great starting point.
There's also good information at the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association website. There's good information in both the "Ask The Experts" section and the "Ask the Athletes" sections that are great for this.
I've also found good information at the RunSweet website.
Hope that helps you somewhat.
It's my understanding one of the biggest challenges for endurance athletes with Type 1 diabetes is finding the right balance between your insulin, your carbohydrate intake and your output of exercise. And this will come with time and testing.
Although I don't take insulin currently (I'm type2 diabetic with both impaired pancreatic function and insulin-resistance), ever since I took up cycling (and especially now that I do everything from short 40-50km sprints to long 70-100km mountainous rides, and I'm planning a 160km century soon) I've had to learn how much carbohydrate to intake, and when (both before and during), for each event I participate in. You'll need to do the same, and also need to modify your insulin intake depending on what you're doing also. You'll need considerably less insulin (and maybe only basal) on race days, but as everyone is different, you'll need to find out what works for you.
Obviously dropping into the 40's while exercising means that you had either 1) too much insulin, or; 2) too little carbohydrate, or; 3) a combination of both.
As far as diet goes... Athletes both with and without diabetes require adequate amounts of macronutrients (carbs, protein and fat) to support their training and sustain their performance. This means we need carbs both prior to and during our training, as well as protein and fat to build/repair muscle tissue.
Generally speaking, it's best during endurance events to take in small amounts of glucose (energy gels, sports drinks, bars, etc.) every 10-15 minutes to help keep your glucose levels balanced. Not too high, but not getting hypo's either. The amounts and timing will depend on several factors, including your individual metabolism, effort, event duration, etc.
This article on the Powerbar website has information from both a Sports Nutritionist and an Elite Endurance Athlete (with Type 1 diabetes) on managing diabetes in endurance sport, and is a great starting point.
There's also good information at the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association website. There's good information in both the "Ask The Experts" section and the "Ask the Athletes" sections that are great for this.
I've also found good information at the RunSweet website.
Hope that helps you somewhat.
Welcome to the forum. There is a book written by Sherri Colberg about Diabetic Athletes. She has a great website. There are many diabetic athletes who still compete as diabetics.
www.shericolberg.com
www.shericolberg.com
I had this book in the queue, but decided today to crack it open for some clues. Being newly diagnosed, for weeks I've been on a relatively low carb diet(~100g daily). At first it was necessary because my insulin dose was fixed and low carb was what kept me in balance, then it became a habit. Tonight's run, the fourth day in a row caused an even more dramatic drop in glucose, which I caught early by monitoring after the first mile. I suspect that my low carb diet + 4 consecutive evening 2.5 mile runs has depleted my muscle and liver glycogen. That plus some lingering insulin could be making things worse. I think it's time to bump up the bolus, take on the recommended amount of carbs, and try again in a few days.
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